Savage Hired as Assistant Softball Coach

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – University of North Florida Head Softball Coach Marcie Hickey announced today the hiring of Janice Savage as assistant softball coach.

Savage comes to UNF after spending one year at Bowling Green State University. She joined the team in the fall of 2008 and served primarily as the pitching coach, but assisted in all aspects of the team.

“I am very excited that Janice has decided to join our coaching staff,” Hickey said. “Her experience as a player as well as a coach at the Division I level will be an asset to us as we enter our first year of postseason eligibility. Her primary responsibility will be working with the pitchers, but she also has extensive experience in both hitting and defensive instruction. I feel very fortunate to have someone of her caliber working with our program.”

While at Bowling Green for the 2009 season she helped coach two players who were selected for the first team All-MAC honors. On Feb 13, 2009, she coached against UNF at the UCF Invitational in Orlando, Fla., beating the Ospreys 1-0.

Prior to her work at BG, Savage worked three years as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Delaware State University (DSU), where she coached the pitching staff and hitters along with managing the program's recruiting, team conditioning, strength training and other daily operations.

In 2008 she helped lead the Hornets to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship title and their first-ever trip to the NCAA regionals, where the Hornets nearly upset Texas. Savage and the Hornets were five outs away from defeating the Longhorns, 2-1, and picking up their first NCAA Tournament win, until the Longhorns rallied to score two runs in the sixth inning for the win. The Hornets finished the season ranked in the top 10 in nation in two offensive categories; third in doubles per game (1.94 per game) and sixth in scoring (6.11 runs per game).

Before joining the DSU coaching staff, Savage finished the last two seasons of her collegiate career as a Hornet. In two seasons for the Hornets, Savage was a dominant force on the mound ranking in the top 25 of the nation in strikeouts per seven innings (20th in 2004, 8.6 strikeouts per seven innings) and ERA (24th in 2004, 0.98). She still holds the DSU records for strikeouts in a career (323), season (185) and in a single game (17), along with MEAC records.

From one power pitcher to another, rising senior Devyn Findley will benefit from Savage's pitching experience as she herself comes off a record breaking year capturing UNF's career record in strikeouts with 596.

While at Delaware State, Savage was named to the All-MEAC first team, All-ECAC first team, a two-time NFCA Academic All-American and earned the MEAC Commissioners academic award twice. Savage also played two seasons at Georgia Southern University where she was named to the All-Southern Conference.

Savage also played one season professionally overseas in 2005 for New Bologna, an upper division team in the Italian Federation League, becoming the first Delaware State female to sign a professional sports contract.

The Dover, Del. native received her bachelor's degree in Sport Management and a master's in Sport Administration from Delaware State University.

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